Waste container with detachable funneling collar



March 25, 1969 R. s. EMBRY, JR 3 5 WASTE CONTAINER WITH DETACHABLE FUNNELIIIG COLLAR Filed Nov. 15, 1966,

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United States Patent 3,434,625 WASTE CONTAINER WITH DETACHABLE FUNNELING COLLAR Raymond S. Embry, Jr., Albuquerque, N. Mex., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Elisama Embry Filed Nov. 15, 1966, Ser. No. 594,574 Int. Cl. B65d 25/14, 25/34, 7/42, 21/00 US. Cl. 220-65 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The receptable portion of the container is of a shape and size to adaptably receive any one of the four more or less standard grocery bags presently on the market. The bag serves as a liner for the encompassing walls of the container. The upper edge portions of the body walls are provided with an integral rim. The rim is endless and has a generally flat amply wide horizontal flange providing a ledge for the rectangular frame portion of a readily attachable and detachable collar. The outer marginal edge of the collar has a depending retaining flange frictionally engaging a depending marginal flange on the rim. The inner marginal edge of the collar is provided with a flange defining a funnel for capably guiding trash into the bag. Circumferentially spaced reinforcing ribs have upper ends joined to the flanges of the rim. These ribs assist in nesting or stacking containers for compact storage.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in refuse containers such as are designed and customarily adapted for use indoors and has to do with a container having a receptable portion for refuse, waste paper, cartons and the like. More particularly the concept pertains to a plastic or an equivalent kitchentype refuse container wherein a conventional paper grocery bag is used as a liner and wherein the open top of the container is provided with a novel attachable and detachable collar.

Persons conversant with the art to which the invention relates are aware that it is not new to provide indoor trash cans, waste baskets and the like with an interior lining bag and which is subsequently removed and bundied or otherwise handled and placed in an outdoors trash can for routine disposition. Such an adaptation is shown, for example, in the refuse container in the patent to Stein, 1,911,724, to which reference may be made if so desired. Provision is made in Stein and also in Watkins, 1,421,628, for clamping the upper edge of the bag liner to the upper open mouth portion of the container. It is desirable in the instant matter to obviate the necessity of physically attaching the mouth of the bag liner to the Wall of a container. Therefore, oneobject of the present invention is to use the basket or container as a receiver for the ordinary paper grocery bag and to make it sufiiciently deep that the bag is permitted to station itself in said receiver'with'the upper open mouth of the bag either even with or in a plane below the upper edge of the'wall of the container and to avoid clamping the mouth of the bag to-the container wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide a waste or refuse containerwhose upper edgeportion is provided with an outstanding overhanging rim which is endless, generally flat and amply wide that it provides a seating ledge for the endless rectangular frame portion of an attachable and detachable collar and wherein the rim has a depending marginal flange with which a coacting depending flange on the collar can be separablyconnected to assist in positioning and holding the collar in its attached in-use position.

Not only is it desirable to merely insert a conventional self-standing or heavy duty grocery bag within the confines of the receptacle portion and to avoid clamping the mouth of the same, it is also desirable to provide the inner peripheral edge of the attachable and detachable adapter collar with a relatively deep funnel which is free of engagement with the bag but nevertheless functions to direct refuse into the bag in a manner to facilitate loading the bag without tearing or damaging the open mouth portion of the bag.

The invention also features a container which is of a shape and size to accommodatingly receive any one of the four more or less standard grocery bags which are on the open market and wherein the upper exterior surface of the container is provided at circumferentially spaced points with vertical suitably elongated ribs which serve not only to rigidify the container wall but assist in nesting or stacking a plurality of the containers for compact storage, handling and shipping requirements.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view on a relatively small scale of the overall combination, that is, the fluted container, a fragmentary portion of the insertable and removable paper bag, and a fragmentary portion of the attachable and detachable funnel equipped collar.

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale taken approximately on the plane of the section line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view on an enlarged scale with the half portion to the right appearing in elevation, and the half portion to the left in section, showing the collar slightly lifted and a fragmentary portion of the bag in phantom lines.

And FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view showing one container in full lines and another one partially illustrated in phantom lines and serving to bring out the fact that two or more baskets or containers can be telescopingly nested together for compact storage and other purposes.

The molded plastic or equivalent container is denoted by the numeral 6 and as illustrated in FIG. 1 is generally rectangular in top and bottom plan. The container is also referred to in the art as a Waste basket, kitchen-size refuse can or the like. It is of a size and of lightweight material for use in ones kitchen, bathroom or wherever waste baskets are commonly employed. The bottom wall is denoted at 8 and the upstanding vertical overall bodywall is denoted by the numeral 10. This wall may be fluted or otherwise provided with decorative and reinforcing ribs as at 12. The upper open end of the container is provided with an endless outstanding rim at 14 comprising a substantially flat and relatively wide ledge-like flange 16 whose outer edge is provided with a depending marginal flange 18. The upper portion 20 is provided at circumferentially spaced points with suitably elongated and proportioned reinforcing ribs 22 whose (1) lower ends provide limit stops 2-4 and (2) whose upper end portions 28 extend into the downwardly opening channel portion 26 of the aforementioned ri-rn 14. As before suggested, referring again to FIG. 4, it will be noted that the container 6 is here shown telescoping into a second container denoted in phantom lines as at 7. The purpose of this view (FIG. 4) is to bring out the fact that the lower limit stop edge 24 rests atop the open container 7 to facilitate With reference now to the attachable and detachable adapter collar this is denoted, generally construed, by the numeral 30. It is made of plastic material and is generally rectangular in plan as shown in FIG. 1. The endless frame or body portion 32 is flat-faced and the outer marginal edge is provided with a depending flange 34 which fits removably over the flange 18. The frame itself rests on the ledge-like rim 16 when the collar is down as shown in FIG. 2. The frame itself is of a width much greater than the cross-section or width of the flange 16 so that the inner marginal edge portion 36 projects beyond and well into the interior receptacle portion of the container. This inner marginal edge portion carries a depending downwardly tapering endless member which is fashioned into and constitutes an appropriate container filling funnel 38.

Assuming that the collar 30 is off and the user desires to bring the bag liner into play, the result attained is that illustrated in FIG. 2. Here a regular heavy stock grocery bag is denoted by the numeral 40 and has been placed within the confines of the receptacle portion of the container. The upper edge 42 is either level with or below the plane of the rim as denoted in both FIGS. 2 and 3 (FIG. 3 in phantom lines). It will be noted that the upper edge portion 42 is not stretched over the rim and clamped down by the collar as is ordinarily the case in prior art adaptation. Instead the bag is simply placed in a free standing position in the container after which the collar 30 is applied. Then the collar assumes the snug fitting position shown in FIG. 2. In this position and arrangement the funnel 38 is spaced inwardly from the mouth of the bag and in fact does not clamp the bag but blocks and keeps the mouth of the bag from collapsing radially inwardly. This type of an attachable and detetachable funnel-equipped collar is believed to be an innovation in that it well serves the purposes for which it has been devised and so successfully used.

From the above it will be evident that the container, generally speaking, is not so much a waste paper basket or refuse can but as a matter of fact is a receiver and retainer for an interior liner and wherein the liner comprises any one of four standard size paper grocery shopping bags, and wherein the flanged frame of the collar is attachable and detachable to a rim and provided with an inwardly oriented funneling flange which depends and telescopes into the mouth of the bag and, in so doing, helps to hold the bag upright for unhampered loading.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a container having a horizontal bottom wall and a complemental upstanding body wall providing an open top receptacle portion, a readily insertable and removable open mouth disposable grocery bag seated in said receptacle portion, said bag being of a depth that the upper edge of the open mouth thereof is disposed in a plane level with or alternatively slightly below the plane of the open top of said receptacle portion, said bag providing a liner for said receptacle portion and a bagging and throw-away receiver for the items of refuse and waste collected therein, the upper terminal edge of said open top having integral outstanding rim means, said rim means comprising an andless horizontal planar flange disposed at right angles to said upstanding wall, said flange being ledge-like and the outer marginal edge of said flange having a depending lip-like flange, said horizontal and depending flanges, in conjunction with the encompassed upper portion of said body wall, defining a downwardly opening endless channel and a readily attachable and detachable collar for said open top embodying a flange having an inner marginal edge provided with a depending funnel aligned with the open mouth of said bag and an outer marginal edge embodying a depending attaching and retaining flange, said frame being firmly but removably seated atop said horizontal ledge-like flange, said collar attaching and retaining flange encompassing and being releasably joined to said rim flange and thus holding said frame in a predetermined refuse funneling bag filling position.

2. The combination according to claim 1, and wherein said container is generally rectangular in plan, said frame being likewise and correspondingly rectangular in plan, and said funnel being spaced a significant distance, that is, inwardly from the encompassing upper wall portion of said upstanding wall, whereby to provide ample space for the mouth of said bag and, in so doing, to prevent the bag from being physically clamped by said funnel against the interior of said upstanding wall.

3. The combination according to claim 1, and wherein the upper exterior surface of said body wall is provided with circumferentially spaced outstanding reinforcing and container telescoping and nesting ribs for stacking and handling needs, said ribs being vertically elongated and the upper ends of said ribs projecting into said channel and being integrally joined With the horizontal and vertical flanges, respectively, of said rim.

4. For use in ones kitchen, bathroom or wherever indoor refuse cans and waste baskets are commonly employed, a container embodying a bottom wall and an integral upstanding coacting body wall and defining a receptacle for an insertable and removable open mouth grocery bag, said receptacle being of a dimension to conformingly receive and retentively support an inserted grocery bag in a self-standing upright loading position, the open top of said container being provided with a horizontal outstanding rim characterized by a flat horizontal ledge-like flange, and an outer marginal edge provided with a depending assembling flange, said flanges cooperating with each other and the encompassed upper portion of the body wall and defining an endless open bottom channel, a readily attachable and detachable collar superimposed atop said horizontal flange and having an outer peripheral edge provided with a depending lip-like flange snugly embracing and frictionally connected with the aforementioned depending flange, having an inner peripheral edge provided with a depending funnel, said funnel being spaced, when in use, from the interior wall of the container in a manner to provide an adequate space for confinement of the upper mouth portion of the aforementioned grocery bag whereby it is free of clamping contact with said bag, the upper exterior portion of the body wall being provided with vertical circumferentially spaced reinforcing and stacking ribs, said ribs having upper end portions projecting within the confines of said channel and being integrally connected with the aforementioned horizontal and vertical flanges and functioning to rigidify said rim.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 201,843 9/1965 Johnson 220-97 2,533,524 12/1950 Snider 220-1 2,907,491 10/1959 Gunn 220-40 2,916,183 12/1959 Ariens 220-65 3,191,798 6/1965 White 220-65 3,307,739 3/1967 Cloyd 220-72 X FOREIGN PATENTS 369,401 6/ 1963 Switzerland.

GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 220-72, 97 

